1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gas burner apparatus and methods for burning fuel gas-air mixtures whereby flue gases having low NOx content are produced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Emission standards are continuously being imposed by governmental authorities which limit the quantities of gaseous pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx ) which can be emitted into the atmosphere. Such standards have led to the development of various improved gas burner designs which lower the production of NOx and other polluting gases. For example, methods and apparatus have been developed wherein all of the air and some of the fuel is burned in a first zone and the remaining fuel is burned in a second zone. In this staged fuel approach, an excess of air in the first zone acts as a diluent which lowers the temperature of the burning gases and thereby reduces the formation of NOx. Other methods and apparatus have been developed wherein flue gases are combined with fuel gas and/or fuel gas-air mixtures to dilute the mixtures and lower their combustion temperatures and the formation of NOx.
While the above described prior art methods and burner apparatus for producing flue gases having low NOx content have achieved varying degrees of success, there still remains a need for improvement in gas burner apparatus and methods of burning fuel gas whereby simple economical burner apparatus is utilized and low NOx content flue gases are produced. Further, the burner apparatus utilized heretofore to carry out the above described methods have generally been large, produce flames of long length and have low turn down ratios.
Thus, there are needs for improved burner apparatus and methods which produce low NOx content flue gases and the burner apparatus are compact, have short flame lengths and have high turn down ratios.
By the present invention compact low NOx gas burner apparatus and methods are provided which meet the needs described above and overcome the deficiencies of the prior art. That is, the present invention provides improved gas burner apparatus and methods for discharging mixtures of fuel gas and air into furnace spaces wherein the mixtures are burned and flue gases having low NOx content are formed therefrom. In addition, the compact burner apparatus of this invention are smaller than most prior art burner apparatus, have high turn down ratios and produce short flame lengths.
A compact gas burner apparatus of this invention is basically comprised of a housing having an open end attached to a furnace space and means for introducing a controlled flow rate of air into the housing attached thereto. A refractory burner tile is attached to the open end of the housing having an opening formed therein for allowing air to pass from the housing into the furnace space. The burner tile includes a wall surrounding the opening which extends into the furnace space and forms a mixing zone within and above the wall. The exterior sides of the wall are divided into sections by a plurality of radially positioned baffles attached thereto with alternate sections having the same or different heights and slanting towards the opening at the same or different angles. Some or all of the sections, preferably every other section, have passageways formed therein for conducting primary fuel gas from outside the sections to within the wall. A primary fuel gas nozzle connected to a source of fuel gas can optionally be positioned within the opening and wall of the burner tile for mixing additional primary fuel gas with the air flowing through the burner tile. One or more fuel gas nozzles, preferably one for each external slanted wall section, connected to a source of fuel gas and positioned outside the wall of the burner are provided for discharging secondary fuel gas adjacent to one or more of the sections. One or more of the fuel gas nozzles, preferably every other fuel gas nozzle, also discharge primary fuel gas and flue gases into and through the primary fuel gas passageways whereby the secondary fuel gas mixes with flue gases in the furnace space, the mixture of secondary fuel gas and flue gases mixes with unburned air, primary fuel gas and flue gases flowing through the opening and wall of the burner tile and the resultant mixture is burned in the furnace space in a folded flame pattern.
By the improved methods of the present invention a mixture of fuel gas and air is discharged into a furnace space wherein the mixture is burned in a folded flame pattern and flue gases having low NOx content are formed therefrom. A method of this invention basically comprises the steps of discharging the air into a mixing zone within and adjacent to a wall which extends into the furnace space and has exterior sides divided into alternating sections by a plurality of radially positioned baffles attached thereto. The alternating sections have the same or different heights and slant towards the opening at the same or different angles. One or more of the sections, preferably every other section of the alternating sections, have passageways formed therein for conducting a primary fuel gas and flue gases mixture from outside the sections to within the wall. A primary portion of the fuel gas is discharged from locations outside the wall and adjacent to the one or more wall sections having passageways formed therein so that the primary portion of the fuel gas is mixed with flue gases in the furnace space and the resulting primary fuel gas-flue gases mixture formed flows into the mixing zone within the wall by way of the one or more passageways to form a primary fuel gas-flue gases-air mixture which flows into the furnace space. Simultaneously, a secondary portion of the fuel gas is discharged from one or more locations outside the wall and adjacent to one or more of the wall sections so that the secondary portion of fuel gas mixes with flue gases in the furnace space and the secondary fuel gas-flue gases mixture formed is discharged into the primary fuel gas-flue gases-air mixture in a plurality of separate streams which enter and mix with the primary fuel gas-flue gases-air mixture to form a highly mixed fuel gas-flue gases-air mixture which burns in a folded flame pattern.